Discord
by ToneOfEchoes
Summary: War is a time full of suffering and devastation, any shinobi who lived through the era would know the scars left behind. During a simple mission, the members of Team Minato must learn the concept of teamwork despite their trailing errors at working together. Struggling to stand on their own as individuals and relying on one another is an unsettling test all its own.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights reserved. Okay, this one shot has been sitting in my documents since I watched Kakashi Gaiden, which was a long time ago, so I decided to fix it up and post it. It's just an idea I thought of afterwards. I wanted to try my hand at Team Minato :) Hope you all enjoy and reviews are appreciated! R&R~**

* * *

Minato peered up at the clearing, sapphire sky, eyeing the strands of cloud being whisked away by the churning rush of wind. His cerulean eyes shifted towards the horizon as he calculated the amount of time he and his team had left to complete their assignment. The leaves tussled against the gust, collapsing alongside the force. One member was running late again, which cost them a great deal of needed daylight. His mind wasn't lost in concern. He knew of his pupil's infamous lateness for a few years now. Attempting to set the meeting up earlier provided a futile effort in the end.

His hand skimmed back on the boulder he was leaning against. This war they were in the middle of was comprised of mounted casualties, bloodshed, and risk around every decisive corner. It appeared to be a lost cause at times. More damage was bound to come, tearing the landscape and molding the minds of the shinobi meant to endure the struggle. He often thought of the length and vanishing time this battle consumed, but knew it was almost pointless.

The Yellow Flash sensed his student close by and shuffled his feet to the tall grass, alerting the girl while the other already noticed. His squad was definitely one of a kind, but they still lacked many required skills as a whole. He wouldn't trade them for anyone else, accepting the kinks and arguments that stemmed from the bliss of being inexperienced in battle. Kakashi was considered a prodigy at his young age, a skilled ninja with untapped potential. One day he was bound to be renowned. His only downfall was his overconfidence and tendency to disregard others. Rin was slowly mastering medical ninjutsu, her abilities incomparable. She still lacked motivation, but would grow to be a fine shinobi. While the other, he was unique.

Obito quickly ran, almost stumbling a few times against the wet, uneven ground, which he considered improvement to his clumsy manner. He always found his habit a hindrance. His goggles bobbled up and down against his torso with every long stride. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he raced the clock even though he was _extremely_ late. His team came into view as the trees spread apart. Pulling his safety goggles up out of mere annoyance, he staggered as his foot smacked into a tree root, causing the Uchiha to fall forward right onto his face.

"You going to show up every day like that?"

The looming, almost mocking shadow hovered over the young ninja as he collected himself from the fall. He stood, anger already pricking at his nerves. "Shut up, Kakashi! I just happened to fall! It's not like it happens _every_ time!"

The medical ninja gave a small smile at her friends and their rivalry. Rin walked over to them with her hands held loosely behind her back, her short hair blowing. "Try to be more careful, Obito. You're going to get hurt." Taking a few steps, she saw he was simmering down due to her presence. "You got dirt on your face. Let me." The kunoichi brushed her hand against his cheek.

"No really, I'm fine," he said with a slight blush, laughing nervously. His hand rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

The silver haired Chuunin rolled his eyes at the scene and turned to Minato impatient. "What are we doing today, Sensei?"

"You three are all Chuunin now since Obito was just promoted. I'd like to congratulate you all. You should be proud of yourselves." The blond went down to his knees, taking out a scroll and a map in the process and the others did the same, coming into a small group. His tone reverted to a stern manner. "Now this document I have needs to get to the fort on the other side of the forest for safekeeping. It has directions from Lord Hokage himself written inside. It's vital that we get this to them before sunset and we only have a few hours left."

"No thanks to someone," Kakashi added accusingly.

Obito rapidly turned his head, gritting his teeth. "Hey, I have a reason for being late."

A sense of irritation emitted from his narrowing eyes. His teammate always tried to cover his excuses. "Then this ought to be good, but I bet it's just another lie."

"No!" He detested how his teammate thought everything he did was reckless and utterly worthless, but to him the reasons he never showed up when expected were valued when spent helping. "I found this cat on my way here. She had a collar and everything. I had to find the rightful owner," he explained. "This elderly woman lost her days ago and was really happy I found her pet. She offered me some fresh baked cookies and it would've been rude if I declined."

Kakashi glimpsed over at the Uchiha with disdain. "I doubt that."

"You doubt everything!" He shouted crossly. "But I have proof because I brought one, so there!" His hand dug into his pocket, managing to only pull out crumbs. He figured it must have been smashed when he tripped. "Well, it's still proof!" His intension was to share them with Rin, knowing how much she liked sweets.

Minato gave a knowing grin. Reassurance rested on his words. "I'm sure they were worth the delay, but next time you should put them in a container if you want to save them." When his head dropped back to the document in hand, his focus returned to their mission. "Now, the three of you will wait for me at a designated location. I'll provide a distraction and be lookout while you guys take the scroll to the fort. There's rumor that an attack is planned, which means we can't be reckless. When I scout ahead, I'll give a signal and then you can move out. At that point, I will offer you backup if needed. Got it?"

"Yes, Sensei," the squad replied in sync.

"Let's go then." He stood up, reaching for his backpack and sliding it onto his shoulders. His gaze hit the dense forest. They had too much ground to cover and not enough light of day. This task shouldn't go off script, but when glancing at his team, he had to be ready for anything. He held out one of his kunai, laced with his signature seal for transportation. "This will be the signal. Be vigilant. I don't know when I'll get the chance to send it." He took a few steps ahead.

"Wait a second," Obito said, tunneling his hand into his other pocket and taking out his eye drops as he sat down.

Their schedule was already tampered with enough. Kakashi stared upwards, figuring the time from the sun's position. He allowed an exhale to flow through his words. "Who's going to keep hold of the scroll? I think it would be safer with me."

The Uchiha's hand clutched a clump of grass as the drop hit his eye. "I can handle that better than you. Just let me hold onto it."

The son of the White Fang tilted his head, eyeing his comrade. "You'll lose it or something."

He rubbed his eyes and looked up angrily. "No, I won't!"

"You will because you did the last time," he said back spitefully.

"I dropped it because we were _attacked_. It was dark and I had to make sure everyone was okay. Unlike you, who didn't even care!"

Kakashi slightly shook his head. "You forgot about the mission. A rookie mistake. You're a Chuunin now. Start acting like one."

"Both of you keep it together," Minato said calmly, putting up his hand. "Rin will hold onto it. Now stop acting so divided. We're a four man squad. A team acts as a single shinobi. _Teamwork_ is the most important aspect when in a group, remember that." He must have rehearsed this speech a multitude of times, but they never applied it at crucial moments.

Rin accepted the document, noticing the sour looks both Obito and Kakashi wore at the outcome. They fought so often and over the most trivial subjects. She had hoped over all this time they would learn to work together but that wasn't the case.

The Jounin scanned ahead. "Let's get going."

* * *

The forest was covered in still shadow, obscuring the finer details of the engraved wilderness. The earth remained damp due to the rain that passed the day before, leaving the smell of moist soil lingering in the air. The neighboring tress towered over the three Chuunin who already separated from their leader. They were instructed to remain hidden and quiet. They crouched behind a fallen tree tuck. A few rocks littered the ground where they remained, the only spacious area of a few meters.

Obito was getting agitated in the meantime. Two hours have already ticked by and there was no indication. His mind began wandering to other possibilities. "Maybe Minato sensei got stuck in a battle and can't signal us. It's going to get dark soon. We should go out and-"

"Knock it off, Obito," Kakashi said lowly, not sparing a glance. "Sensei's orders were to stand by and wait."

"You're not captain. Stop telling me what to do," the Uchiha whispered back.

"I'm only repeating Minato sensei."

"Well, don't… It's annoying," he mumbled, speaking over Rin. "You're always rules this, and regulations that… _'A shinobi must never question their commander.' 'A shinobi must never show emotion.' _Blah, blah, blah, I get it. You don't need to spout the rulebook to me every day."

Kakashi was steadily getting frustrated at this tired routine of theirs. "I wouldn't have to if you'd just follow them for once."

"And what, be a robot ninja like you?" He asked with a scoff. "No thanks."

"Obito, Kakashi," Rin cut in softly. "We're supposed to be looking for our signal and we could miss it if you two don't pay attention." She always felt like the mediator when their sensei wasn't around. If it wasn't for her reminder or gently placed words to bring their focus back, they'd be at each other's throats every mission. They relied on her healing as well. She saved their lives many times already.

The area was draped in an eerie silence once more. A spider crawled up the Uchiha's sleeve without his notice. He glanced down, feeling something inching up his arm and immediately started to thrash his hand about. Kakashi and Rin merely glimpsed over at him with raised eyebrows. The white haired Chuunin shook his head, causing Obito to turn with a vindictive frown. He then rested his arms on the wood, succumbing to his sudden boredom.

Kakashi remained unmoving, constantly scanning the area ahead of him just in case any slight movement caught his attention. No signs of enemy ninja were traceable. A few birds were off in the distance, seeing them in the corner of his eye. Nothing else appeared suspicious.

Rin moved a little closer to the other to get a better look. Obito noticed and scoffed for the second time at her continuous attempts. The sudden noise tore the eyes of his teammates from their original objective, putting the Uchiha on the spot.

"Ugh, I'm tired of waiting," he said, placing his hands behind his head. He loathed that the kunoichi was only interested in Kakashi. Who he thought really didn't deserve the failed affection. His jealousy could never be voiced for enough reason. "Let's just get going already. I bet there's no one out there. Come on, we've waited long enough."

"Do you want to fail the mission? And stop talking so loud. You'll blow our cover."

"What cover? There's no one out here but us!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air. At that moment an array of kunai came their way.

"Look out!" Kakashi shouted as he got up to block the weapons with a single swing. Rin hit the ground and covered her head as one nearly struck her down.

The sound of tearing wood hit the Uchiha's ears. "Rin, look out!" Obito called as the tree behind her tipped over due to a hidden shinobi's earth style jutsu. He struggled to run to her side and tripped, forgetting to put in his eye drops again. His vision was blurred and seemingly got worse over the span of their wait. Kakashi turned around in an effort to shove her aside as the tree smashed onto his leg. Letting out a scream of pain, he fell forward, his stomach crashing onto the earth.

Rin's fingers dug into the gravel as she pushed herself up, immediately at his side. "Kakashi, are you alright?"

Their sensei's distinctly marked kunai sailed past them. "That's the signal. The scroll… both of you go."

Her eyes widened at his command. "But you're hurt and-"

"The mission is more important." He put his head down as a sharp pain burrowed into his leg.

"Just shut up!" Obito suddenly yelled, seething with tears at the edge of his eyes. "You're hurt! The mission can wait!" He tried to push the tree off of his teammate, but it wouldn't budge.

"That's pointless," Kakashi said in lacking breath. "Minato sensei is waiting. This information we're delivering is important, so get going."

The Uchiha looked over at the medical ninja and saw tears rolling down her already wet cheek. "No, no, no, no, no! How many times are you going to preach that to me! Rin's crying because of you and I _never_ want to see her cry like that! What kind of person let's their teammate cry? Unforgivable! So don't you dare go spewing out rules at a time like this!" He slammed his hands against the bark and struggled against the weight. "I make my own… rules! And this shinobi says… screw the… regulations!" he roared between each ragged breath. Despite his efforts, he was getting nowhere.

Rin wiped her tears aside and ran to Obito's left, also trying to aid in his effort. Kakashi looked up, aggravated that they wouldn't listen to reason. They had to of understood how important Minato sensei said the scroll was, especially with this war underway.

He merely watched as the two tried, the bulk resisting any strength they forced. The tree then moved marginally, causing the burden to shift and be removed from his leg. The split tree was pushed off of him, but his leg was his last concern. His eyes raised a fraction, detecting chakra signatures in the distance. "The enemy is still here and waiting," he warned the others who came over to him.

"Where? I don't see anything." The Uchiha skimmed the area quickly while Rin helped Kakashi into a sitting position. He detested the fact that his teammate's eyes were keen and more reliable than his own. He was supposed to be elite like everyone else in the Uchiha Clan, yet he lacked much natural born skill, too much for his liking. He always felt as if he was the inferior liability cast upon this team comprised of talented shinobi.

Rin leaned forward on her knees and examined his leg. The bruising and swelling were apparent against his pale skin. "It's broken. I can't fix the bone completely but I'll do what I can." Her hands became surrounded by a light green chakra base as she touched his limb.

Obito observed the two of them as he pulled up his goggles. His eyes stung, needing his drops once more. Rummaging through his pocket, he pulled the small bottle out and forced his eye open with his fingers as the drop hit his eyeball. His vision became blurry for a second. Then he proceeded to his next eye. He knew fault fell to him. Kakashi was now injured because he was too slow and then of course, had to fall. If only he had his Sharingan, than maybe he could be some use to the team instead of messing everything up. He may talk big, but when it came to doing anything right, he was a lousy ninja and he knew it deep down.

Kakashi spoke up, breaking his teammate's self-deprecating thoughts. "Obito, you need to take the scroll to the fort. Minato sensei will cover you."

"Me? But I'll just-"

"You can do this," Kakashi expressed evenly as Rin took out the parchment. "We're a team, remember? I know you can make it."

"But you and Rin… You can't fight… and the enemy is here," he responded quietly.

"I'm a Chuunin too," Rin said sternly. "I'm not helpless. I'll heal Kakashi and protect him. So, please go." She had determination the other two knew that, but being a medic left her vulnerable. Her fighting skills lacked.

Kakashi grasped the kunai that stayed lodged firmly into the earth and held it after tearing it from the ground. "Minato sensei believes in us and if we don't get this information to the fort in time, it could cost us a stilt in the war. A shinobi must adapt to the situation at hand, no matter the circumstances."

"Wait..." He thought back to the many times Kakashi quoted at him. "That's not a rule."

"No, it's not, but it's something sensei told us so…"

"We'll adapt," Obito finished with an agreeing nod. "Just be careful." Rin handed him the scroll and he gave her a smile. "Just watch your back… both of you." He dashed off with conviction and pulled down his goggles so they'd rest over his ebony eyes.

The kunoichi brought her attention back to healing her friend's wound, but couldn't help allowing a frown to cascade over her lips.

* * *

Obito wouldn't fail them, not this time. Picking up his speed, he jumped up into the trees and concentrated his chakra to make his jumps further. He still worried about the others and wondered if going ahead was the right thing to do. Rin was strong but shouldn't be on the front lines and he knew Kakashi wouldn't admit it, but he was too hurt to do anything… They had faith in him to get this scroll to the destination and many lives could be lost if he failed… He didn't know what the right thing to do was…

Then a weapon soared past his face, missing him by a few measly inches.

* * *

About twenty minutes passed and it remained silent. "Does that help any?" Rin asked, rummaging through her medical kit.

"It's fine, really. I'm just surprised nothing happened yet. The enemy is out there yet I can't detect a single one... Why not attack?" He closed his eyes to let thought resurface. _A ninja must see through deception_. A delayed assault had to be caused by something he missed. Then it hit him. They let the scroll be seen by the enemy. No wonder they didn't strike when he was down. They had to know who had the scroll in their possession. He felt like an idiot, that was a common known rule. They probably went after Obito, but he could now feel the presence of a few more lurking around in the forest.

"Let's say we're lucky," Rin said, breaking the other's concentration. "I hope Obito will be okay."

"He'll be alright as long as he doesn't turn back." Their sensei would be there to help so his worry diminished as he continued strategizing for any unexpected situation.

"Why are you always on him about the rules? He just cares about us."

"Cares about_ you_, we hate each other," he replied in a biting response. "Not following the rules will end up getting one of us killed and right now Obito is doing what he should be, finishing the mission."

The girl sighed, knowing she could never change his mind. But reason had to exist for his harsh, almost cold personality to be exposed to those around him. When they were put on the same squad, she was excited. Despite being aware of Obito's huge crush on her, she didn't feel the same and it created rifts. He tried frequently to get her attention and she honestly did care for him, however, the affection she harbored was for a friend.

"They moved," Kakashi alerted abruptly, turning his head. A slight fluctuation of chakra was sensed nearby. "Rin, to your right!"

She got up swiftly and spun around, whipping out a kunai to fend off the attacker. The shinobi was quick to react, grabbing her wrist and prying the weapon from her tense fingers. She let out a small scream as the man gripped her other wrist and roughly pulled her hands behind her back.

Kakashi threw his sensei's kunai but it was easily dodged. He was yanked by the arm and dragged up to his feet with a knife pinned against his throat. His arm was twisted behind his back. He put all pressure on his good leg, being left with no room to maneuver or strike back. The pain from his fractured bone surged, causing a torn breath to be exhaled.

"Fire style, fireball jutsu!" A gust of radiant flame aimed at the men from behind. The two ninja jumped back still keeping hold of the hostages they meant to kill.

"Obito, what are you doing?" Kakashi yelled, losing his balance to some extent.

"Let them go!" the Uchiha said audaciously with a kunai aimed in their direction.

"What's a little brat going to do?" the man asked. Kakashi winced as the sharp blade scarcely grazed against his skin. "Can you stop me from cutting this one's throat?" he asked, gradually slipping the razor edge over the Chuunin's neck, blood dripping down the weapon's reflective surface.

Obito charged at the man without thinking. Two other shinobi appeared in front of him and grasped his arms, pulling him back a little. "Let go!" He struggled but couldn't break free.

Kakashi glanced over at Rin and then Obito. There was no way out, they were all effortlessly captured. If he wasn't hurt the maybe he could've done more. He could have lasted in a fight for some time but the end result wouldn't have changed. This could get worse if one of them didn't think of something fast.

Suddenly all the men were knocked down in a blink of an eye. The son of the White Fang fell forward, feeling an arm wrap around his waist before hitting the ground. He looked up. "Minato sensei…"

"No way, it's the Yellow Flash of the Leaf," one of the Rock ninja said, recognizing the legendary speed. They were directed to flee the moment he arrived. "Everyone retreat!" They vanished as quickly as they had come.

Obito put his hand on his head, glad that their sensei made it in time. He knew what would come because of his actions and he wasn't in the mood to hearing it_ again_ from his silver haired rival.

Minato carefully helped Kakashi sit down, noticing the severity of his leg's condition. "Rin, heal his neck. Then we can head back to Konoha and get him to a hospital."

"But Sensei, what about the mission?"

His head tilted faintly, the answer being formed within a sigh. "Obito and I met up on his way out. He quickly explained the situation. And like you probably assumed, he was attacked. I took the scroll and he headed back to you guys. I got the document to its destination but was a little delayed in getting here… Still, nothing too serious happened. We were lucky."

It was the kunai. Kakashi gathered that much after detecting the transportation insignia on the handle. Then he glimpsed upwards at Obito as the other two spoke. The disconnecting hostility surrounding the area appeared to fade with the return of voice.

"What?" the Uchiha asked, expecting an extended lecture of some sort.

"Nothing," he muttered, shifting his head in the opposite direction. Obito actually listened to him for once but he ended up coming back. Then again if he hadn't returned, they could have died if it wasn't for the fire jutsu meant as a mere distraction to prolong the enemy until Minato arrived. Maybe the Uchiha was starting to think ahead or it could have been dumb luck and knowing his comrade, it was probably the latter.

* * *

Kakashi was walking with his arms around both Obito and Rin as the team headed back to Konoha. The sun was setting, a low glow placed against the horizon. A deep blue was cast above them and fireflies swarmed below in the elevated green grass. He was traveling a little slow, pain rushing up and down his leg like pins and needles, but that couldn't be guessed from his stoic expression.

"Man, Kakashi, can you stop lagging?" Obito complained with a locked sour look.

His head shot in the Uchiha's direction, his tone low and irate. "How about I break your leg in two places and see you not lag a little?"

"Is that some kind of threat because I'm ready! I can take you!"

"I could still beat you even with a broken leg. So don't challenge me or you'll regret it."

"As if!" He let go of the other's arm and crossed his in retaliation. "You can't even walk," he barked back.

Rin stumbled a little, trying to keep her friend balanced alone. "Obito, don't be that way. I mean, we completed the mission and everything. You should be happy."

"No, Kakashi should be happy. I, on the other hand, am not because you… I mean…" He stuttered a little, redirecting his words. "Just look at us. We hardly got out of there alive."

Minato turned around, giving his students the chance to settle down before he spoke. "Our mission may have been a success but it was also a failure. Anyone want to tell me why that is?" The Chuunin were all silent. "I told you three what was expected of you and something happened, causing everything to fall apart." He peered down at the only female member. "Rin, you were too focused on Kakashi while Obito went out on his own. You knew it would be too dangerous for him. Yet you didn't protest because you wanted to stay with Kakashi, alone."

The kunoichi dragged her eyes away when Obito glanced at her with a hurt expression. A form of guilt swelled in her chest. She shouldn't have let him run off, but was letting her emotions get in the way as usual.

"Obito, if you would have stayed quiet then you wouldn't have been detected in the first place. You were too eager to get the mission done with. You need to think before you move. A shinobi at any level knows that," he continued evenly.

The Uchiha nodded understandingly, and then walked over to help Rin.

"And you Kakashi, you have a one track mind when it comes to following my orders to a tee. You were arrogant enough to believe with a broken leg, you could still fight, protect yourself and Rin with no problem. Your words forced Obito to leave you both with no cover. That was reckless and I warned you multiple times about you needing to have faith in those around you."

The Chuunin appeared to be more annoyed than sorry but knew what he had done put them in danger. Even at the time the thought came to mind, but his overwhelming self-warning not to be like his father grew turbulent in his mind and caused his choice.

"Being a shinobi is not an easy job. It can be deadly. But as ninja we must be able to change tactic in the blink of an eye, think on our feet, and most importantly keep the safety of the team in mind. We work in a four man squad for a reason. The three of you ignore the simple concept of teamwork. All of you have your own abilities and unique skills, work together to become an efficient shinobi. A ninja has only one job and that is to protect. Protect their ideals, their dreams, the land they call home and most importantly… their comrades, those they would die to keep safe." He paused to let his words settle in as he looked individually at his students. "Okay, lecture over, now let's get back."

"Sensei?" Obito voiced after a winded pause. "I want to make my clan proud and one day become Hokage, but you see how I am compared to Kakashi… I'm a screw up… even I can see that… We can't work together on anything. How does that make us a team?"

He walked over to his student and put his hand on Obito's head, a smile appearing. "One day you'll see that being one and working together is easy as long as you let it happen. I can't say every mission will turn out good or bad in the future, but as your sensei I'll protect the three of you with my life." His eyes rounded towards the other two. "However, when I'm not around it's everyone's job to watch out for each other so there will be no regret or question of what one of you could've done to change an inevitable situation. Remember and carry it with you so you never need to worry about the one thing we all take for granted, and that is time. A shinobi's life is not measured by his abilities, but by his heart and mind."

Kakashi decided to speak up. "You're not… a complete screw up… at least not all the time."

Confusion contorted on Obito's features. "What?"

He sighed, having to explain. "You said you were a screw up compared to me, but back there we all messed up, none more than the other. You have your flaws, you're always late, you never listen, you mess up on the simplest tasks-"

"The point, Kakashi," the Uchiha exhaled with a fixed frown.

"But we're teammates. You're the one that understands that more than anyone else. What I mean to say is… you _are_ a good shinobi." It sounded almost forced, but genuine enough to be believed.

The Uchiha was plainly shocked but gave his rival a smile. "Thanks, I guess. And I truly believe you're a great shinobi too, except for the fact that you have no control when it comes to spouting out laws like an audible ninja rule book every time we're on a mission."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Was that supposed to be a compliment? It was you're fault the mission ended up the way it did."

"My fault? You're the one that would rather have a member abandon the team to complete the mission!"

"That's in the rules!"

"Well, you and the rules are stupid!"

"And you're a fool who has no idea what being a true shinobi means!"

"You just said I was a good shinobi!"

"Yeah, you are, but you're also an idiot." He turned his head with frustration. No matter what they did, an argument always pursued afterwards.

A grin appeared. "Thanks Kakashi, the feeling is mutual!" Obito gave a small shove to his comrade beside him, knocking him back. Rin and Minato stopped him from falling to the ground as the Uchiha ran ahead of the group. "One day I _will_ be Hokage and you'll see just how much of a great shinobi I really am. With the three of you by my side, I'll show the whole world."

Kakashi shook his head while Rin laughed. Minato couldn't help but smile again. "Obito, get back over here and help Kakashi." He turned to the White Fang's son, sensing his annoyance. "One day you'll look back on this when you have your own team and see how the simplest moments in life are the ones that truly matter, even odd ones like these." The Chuunin looked at him questioningly. "You'll understand one day."

Obito returned to his place beside his squad and continued walking to the village together.


End file.
